Review: The Layover by Lacie Waldon

Looking for a fun, sunny rom-com to match the gorgeous weather we’re having this weekend? Look no further! The Layover by Lacie Waldon has you covered. Fans of The Hating Game, meet your new favourite rom-com!

After ten years as a flight attendant, Ava Greene is poised to hang up her wings and finally put down roots. She's got one trip left before she bids her old life farewell, and she plans to enjoy every second of it. But then she discovers that former pilot Jack Stone -- the absurdly gorgeous, ridiculously cocky man she's held a secret grudge against for years -- is on her flight. And he has the nerve to flirt with her, as if he doesn't remember the role he played in the most humiliating night of her life. Good thing she never has to see him again after they land....

But when their plane encounters mechanical problems, what should have been a quick stop at the Belize airport suddenly becomes a weekend layover. Getting stuck on a three-hour flight with her nemesis was bad enough. Being stranded with him at a luxury resort in paradise? Even with the sultry breeze and white sand to distract her, it will take all the rum punch in the country to drown out his larger-than-life presence.

Yet the more time Ava spends with him under the hot Caribbean sun, the more she begins to second-guess everything she thought she knew about him... and everything she thought she wanted from her life. And all too soon, she might have to choose between keeping her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds....

Ava Greene is preparing for her last ever trip as a flight attendant with Northeast Air. When she discovers her flight schedule includes a stop in beautiful Belize she can’t believe her luck. Until she finds out she’ll be working with Jack Stone, the gorgeous, insufferable man she has secretly hated for years. Sparks begin to fly the minute the two meet, and when mechanical problems turn a quick stop into a sun drenched weekend layover Ava is forced to spend time with her nemesis. She soon realises however that there is more to Jack that meets the eye, and that just maybe she was wrong about him all along...

Hate-to-love is my absolute favourite romance trope so I was instantly sold on this. Ava is a lovely character and she and Jack have chemistry in spades. Their witty banter and competitive antics made me smile. There is a wonderful cast of supporting characters too, particularly the other airline crew members, and it was really interesting to see how they all worked together during a flight. Lacie is a flight attendant herself, and her first hand experience and attention to detail really shines through. But it’s on the ground in Belize where the story really gets going. Anyone missing their holidays abroad this year, this will cure your wanderlust. Pools, beaches, tropical islands, it’s all here. I particularly loved the part with the bioluminescence, something I knew nothing about and am now desperate to see for myself!

Not only is The Layover the perfect summer read, it’s also one of those feel-good reads that I know I’ll return to time and time again. Thanks to Piatkus Books for the gorgeous review copy!